FDA Bans BPA in Baby Bottles

FDA Bans BPA in Baby Bottles

by Becky Striepe

Yesterday was a huge win for families who have been lobbying for years to get toxic BPA out of baby bottles and sippy cups.

The FDA announced yesterday that it’s going to ban BPA in children’s drinking cups or bottles. Surprisingly, the American Chemistry Council – an industry advocacy group – asked for the FDA ban, because consumer confidence in plastic children’s products was dropping. Most manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups were phasing out BPA before the ban came down today.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor and possibly linked to a wide range of health concerns from intestinal inflammation to breast cancer. What’s important to remember about the FDA ban is that it only affects baby bottles and children’s sippy cups, and you can find BPA in a wide range of other products like:

Some types of plastic food storage containers

Soda cans

Cans that hold food like beans and veggies

Receipts

Some canning jar lids

The FDA ban does not address any of the health issues associated with BPA. Instead, the ruling states that it is banning BPA in sippy cups and baby bottles “because these uses have been abandoned.”

While some are applauding the ban on BPA in baby bottles and children’s sippy cups, many consumer advocacy groups are saying that this ban does not go far enough. What do you think about the FDA ban on BPA?